Drunk on Shadows
by 2eXist
Summary: How can respect and acknowledgment be obtained, when it has died in the hearts of people? Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke find out, try to, at least. Sakura X Sasuke/ Rated M / May contain spoilers.
1. Uchiha Sasuke

**A/N:** Ok! So this is my first Naruto fanfic. I'm actually kinda nervous with this one. It's not OC and I will use a lot of Naruto references, and SOME SPOILERS from both anime/manga, so please be warned. **Sasuke X Sakura** of course, with some mild Sakura X Naruto. I hope you guys enjoy the ride. Thank you for reading.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. If at the end of the Naruto journey he makes Sasuke and Sakura have some Uchiha babies, he will be my official God.

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Chapter I: **Uchiha Sasuke**

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They say that when you die your whole life flashes before your eyes. They say the last thing you see is what you probably treasured the most in this so-called borrowed life. He knew he was dying because he couldn't possibly be in the most beautiful place he'd ever seen: in front of his old village, Konoha. This place really didn't change. It was still as he remembered it. The leaves were rustling in his ears and his senses could pick up everything around him; the sound of Konoha's entrance chimes was one of his favorite sounds…  
He heard someone ask him who he was, from the top of the huge gate door. He didn't understand, or simply did not have enough strength _to_ understand. He didn't care. Uchiha Sasuke didn't care about anything and he'd be damned if he started now. Yes, even with death so close...

His head was pounding. A light, so enticing, was calling him, seducing him to come near it. So welcoming…  
But he didn't want to die. He realized this as he almost grasped the sweet light that was calling him like a cup of hot, green tea on a cold, rainy day. He was freezing; he needed that cup of tea so badly. But he was no fool; he knew that if he took a little sip he'd fall into sweet oblivion. What was going to keep him from staying? The taste of that tea …

"Sakura! SAKURA-SEMPAI!!" was the last thing he heard as he lost all his senses...finally.

"How bad is he hurt? Who is it? What's his condition?"

"Uchiha Sasuke!!" said the young apprentice and she quickly stopped to look at her superior's face. She had heard the story about the infamous Team Seven. She expected more shock on Sakura's face.

Sakura paled as all the blood rushed from her face. She stood motionless for just a few seconds, fully taking in the sight of Sasuke's body. Though she was indeed shocked and let out a quick gasp, there was no time to think about whom it was she was attending. That's why she was the best doctor in Konoha; putting everything aside to take care of her patients was always top priority.

"I don't know why he's here, but he was found coming into the village, limping and delusional," the young apprentice said as she ripped open Sasuke's shirt, watching Sakura as she expertly filled a syringe with what was most likely a powerful painkiller.

Everybody in the emergency room was watching them. Everybody had their eyes on Sakura, expecting more; at least a cry of emotion, a yelp even. She was preoccupied, though, grabbing Sasuke by the head and shining a light through his pupils, checking for dilation responses. Maybe a hug, a quick stolen hug while he was unconscious…or some other type of reaction! But it never came. She checked his vitals quietly, not paying attention to any of the questioning gazes.

Everything was quiet inside, but the news outside buzzed quicker than bees.

"Is it true? WHERE IS HE?" screamed Konoha's most obnoxious ninja, as he barged into the room where a group of people had gathered, and where Sakura and her four young apprentices were. "I can't believe it! This moron!!" Uzumaki Naruto said while pointing at Sasuke. Naruto was trying to act tough and angry, and he had reason to. However, his huge blue eyes were full of emotion and as always, they were giving him away. He was going to continue with throwing profanities at his unconscious rival but–

"Naruto, please step out of the room. You're not allowed in here. He's unconscious and will be for a while. He won't be able to talk or move for at least a week, so not only do you have to leave, you also have to SHUT THE HELL UP!" said an angry Sakura.

"Sakura-chan…"

"Call Tsunade-sama. I've done all I can, but I'm afraid he won't make it through the night if she doesn't tend to his wounds. He has internal bleeding and I can't perform the operation." With that, Haruno Sakura took off her rubber gloves and left everyone in the hospital…speechless.

"You can and you _will_ perform that operation," said Konoha's Fifth Hokage, causing all of the attention to be directed on her. She walked towards Sasuke and looked around angrily. "Are there no other patients in this facility? Why is everyone standing around? Proceed to your business; this patient needs attention and peace and quiet!"

Of course, saying that and then _yelling_ at the same time went beyond hypocrisy, but the Hokage's orders were obeyed as almost everybody, as well as those who were in Sakura's medical team, took their leave.

Uzumaki Naruto stood his ground and stayed, as though orders weren't meant for him. All the Fifth had to do was turn toward him and give him one glare that meant death if he proceeded to disobey her or test her patience. Naruto was far beyond the stupid kid he used to be and knew better than to challenge her at this time. So, with a nasty glare back, he exited the room.

"Tsunade-sama, I can't possibly do it! You must reconsi--"

"Why aren't you washing your hands? You know the operation must be done internally. Even if we use our chakra, we need to fix it from the inside," Tsunade said, inspecting Sasuke.

Sakura knew her superior very well by now. She was performing Sasuke's operation, no "ifs" or "buts" about it.

Sighing, she turned around and grabbed her medical robe while calling orders to her assistants to get the supplies she would need. She had never performed such an operation on an actual person but she knew exactly what had to be done. Washing her hands thoroughly, she kept repeating the steps that the surgery would require. She would not, under any circumstances, think about who she was actually operating on, actually touching, _who_ was actually there.

"What is he to you?" Tsunade asked, looking at Sakura's hands as they began to shake. It was rare that she would see her apprentice shaken up and not excited to perform a medical procedure. And it had everything to do with the person she was about to operate on.

"He is Uchiha Sasuke. He's a traitor to this village and it's people. I don't know what he is doing here." Sakura would never admit that she enjoyed watching Tsunade's shock as she looked back at the unconscious ninja.

"I see. Do what you have to do. We need him alive. I'm going to have the hospital surrounded by a security team, so don't worry."

Sakura nodded in thanks as she turned back to her patient. They had to work fast and prepare him with new clothes. She saw one assistant take off his purple, braided belt and exchange a look of interest with another. She knew what they were thinking; she thought it the first time she actually looked at him. And after all this time, while the two assistants removed his white robe and exposed his upper body, she couldn't help but think Uchiha Sasuke was–

"Handsome, isn't he?" the first assistant said to the other, while she nodded and giggled in agreement. "Even with this huge gash on his shoulder, just wow. I wonder what color his eyes are…"

"I wonder if he's staying in the village." said the youngest of the assistants. Sakura was uncomfortable with the subject, but this type of conversation always took on with them, especially while preparing for surgery. So, she remained quiet and let them have their chatter. She just hope they wouldn't question her about–

"Sempai? You know this person, don't you?"

"No, I don't," she said as her gloves smacked and she adjusted them on her hands. "Let's get going girls. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can leave."

She didn't pay attention to his face or the very visible growth of his body--not a boy anymore, but a full grown man. If her memory was correct he should be nineteen now, the same age as Naruto.

_What is he doing here?_

She couldn't help but wonder if he was going to stay. If he was, what would his punishment be? Tsunade would not go easy on him. Maybe if it were the Third, he might have had a bit of compassion directed towards him, but he left and didn't get to know the Fifth Hokage--she barely even recognized him.

She hated thinking about what had probably happened to him. His body was torn up in all the vital places. His left hand was broken and he had two cracked ribs. The worst wound was a puncture in his liver, which she was now trying to close. It was her first time performing this surgery, but she had had plenty of imitation practices and knew exactly what she was doing. Besides, his body was not suffering much from the wounds but from exhaustion.

It was weird that she didn't find herself curious or even worried about him. Why was it depressing her? The fact that one of her childhood friends was on his deathbed--literally--and she didn't care…

It was over more quickly than she had thought it would. It was a difficult surgery with a lot of details to be mindful of, but perhaps because she hadn't been paying attention to what she was doing exactly, the time went by pretty quick. Never, in all her medical training, had Sakura done that.

She turned off the surgery light, which let her nurses know that she was done with the operation.

"Keep him in intensive mode. He can't breathe on his own, so leave the respirator on for a few days until his breathing regulates… Good night."

Everyone in the ward was shocked. This was not the reaction everyone had been expecting from Sakura. It was just absurd! It was a fact--or at least the rumors said--that Sakura was in love with Uchiha Sasuke, to the point where she, along with Uzumaki Naruto, had tried, unstopping, to bring him back to Konoha. Everyone knew how that turned out, but, at the time, that was all Naruto and Sakura had cared about. They put themselves at great risk and got into life-threatening situations just to bring him back. In the end, it was Sasuke himself who had threatened to kill both Sakura and Naruto if either ninja didn't leave him alone, in order to follow his own plans.

Naruto never gave up, though; he would still, to this day, try to convince Sasuke to open his eyes and shake some sense into him.

Sakura on the other hand… _had_ given up on Sasuke. She didn't know when it was she had stopped caring, but one thing was certain: her feelings towards Uchiha Sasuke where definitely not what they used to be.

She started walking through the empty hallways. Everyone had gone home, the commotion most likely controlled by ANBU. She could tell, since she was a skilled ninja and could sense and read the constant movements of vigilance going on outside of the hospital.

As she got closer and closer to the exit, there was one person left, obviously waiting for her, or news from her. Definitely something from her….

"Sakura-chan…"

She looked at him in defeat. As she gazed into Naruto's blue eyes, all the feelings she had been ignoring up until then came crashing down on her. She didn't know how to control it, but she thanked God that Naruto was there, waiting for her. Naruto stood up and walked towards her. Somehow he could tell that she wasn't in the mood to talk… All he understood was that she needed his comfort right then, and Sakura also knew that, deep down, Naruto needed her the same way she needed him at the moment.

The tears started flowing from her eyes without her noticing. Naruto took that as his cue to pull her into the embrace they were both waiting for. He had to take her home; they couldn't stay there, the way they both were… It was too much.

He picked her up and with incredible speed, traveled to his apartment in a matter of minutes, perhaps seconds.

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**A/N:** Do I really have to beg for reviews? Because I will.  
Special and warm thanks to: **Guttersnip****e. **Thank you so much, this story wouldn't have happened without you.


	2. Hope

**A/N:** Sooo yeah, this is the 2nd chapter to my jewel. I hope you like. Ja!

**Disclaimer:** Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, whom doesn't have a romantic bone in his body, so I guess that's why I'm here.

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Chapter II: **Hope**

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He wasn't going to lie. He loved her and he didn't know if he would ever stop loving her. He also knew that she didn't return the same feelings, but she felt something for him—probably not love, or maybe it was; he had never known how to read her.

Having to operate on the one person she claimed to "hate"… He didn't know how entirely true that was. One thing he was sure of, though, was how important it was that it was him who was comforting her right now.

Naruto still didn't know how to react to Sasuke's return. It was almost surreal. Like it was all a dream—more like a nightmare. He had never given up on him, but Sasuke's retrieval had taken a few steps down on his ladder of priorities. Over the years, his present became what he cared about the most. The only way to live with himself and not his inner demons was to live his days like each one was his last. He was so close to earning the title he had always wanted: Hokage.

And right now, he was dealing with the girl, now woman, who he had liked since boys started liking girls.

He laid Sakura on his bed; he had done this many times, kind of. But this time it was slightly different. Other times had been because of missions they had had; they would both be on the brink of exhaustion and crash at Naruto's since it was the first house they could get to. This time, he was carrying her while she was hugging tightly to him. He wanted to hold her forever… Such a delicate little thing she was; Sakura looked really small to him at the moment. She wasn't complaining about his proximity and it calmed him. When he looked down, he realized why: she was hugging him back but was fast asleep.

She had all her ninja gear on, which caused a problem for him. Kunai, explosion seals…all secretly concealed like the expert ninja she was. Usually she'd take them off. This was a very different situation, indeed, thought Naruto.

He laid her down and looked upon the woman before him. She was smart, successful, and probably the most wanted kunoichi in all of the hidden villages. Not to mention beautiful. She was fair skinned with a slight tan. Huge green eyes that could warm anything in their sight, but could also give her away with any sign of emotion. Her hair was an unusual pink and made her seem a little unusual to Naruto. But he loved her weird streaks; he didn't know a more confident person (except for maybe himself) than Haruno Sakura.

Slowly and barely touching her skin, Naruto removed Sakura's hidden kunai from her upper left thigh. He knew where she kept her weapons—he had seen her take them off a million times. She kept her explosive seals on her right arm and a shuriken behind her head protector. He proceeded to take off her red vest and her pouch.

He didn't notice her wake up as he continued to unbuckle her boots, but he stopped immediately when he noticed her shift. She was looking at him and he was paralyzed. She reached out for him and he leaned into her hug.

"Naruto… Go to sleep…" she commanded, and that was all he needed to hear.

Smiling, he obeyed. It was going to be fine, Naruto told himself. As long as Sakura was still Sakura, Naruto would still be himself.

She woke up slowly next to a really warm body, whose owner happened to have his arm around her shoulders. Knowing the true ninja that he was, Sakura knew Naruto noticed she was awake. She looked up and noticed his big blue eyes were distant in thought. He had grown up so much. No longer with a round, perplexed face but a square jaw that didn't get punched often anymore (by herself) and mesmerizing azure eyes that drove women in Konoha to their knees.

Sakura wasn't blind; Naruto was one of Konoha's most eligible men. The fact that everyone recognized him for the ninja that he was and more importantly, the fact that Naruto would become the sixth Hokage as he always wished, was far beyond impressive.

Naruto wasn't blind either; Sakura had known it for a while already. He was aware of the kind of attention he was receiving from women. But through it all he remained humble with a few conceited 'I'm awesome' remarks here and there. But that had always been part of his 'My way of the Ninja' style. He knew he now had _options_ in terms of women.

He was a flirt by nature, but Sakura was glad that it was she who would get all the indirect flirting from him. _"Maybe now, Sakura-chan will go out with me,"_ he would say when he was being congratulated in front of Sakura. They were always jokes but sometimes she wished he would be more direct and leave out comedic remarks. All in all, Sakura knew that Naruto loved her.

Did she love him, though? Lately she had often wondered what it would feel like to kiss Naruto. Sometimes she stayed away from him purposely because it would be uncomfortable! Right now though, in his arms, it didn't feel uncomfortable. If anything, it felt so right; she didn't want to move because she was feeling tension. She had always known of Naruto's feelings; he had never been quiet about it. She noticed how Naruto—the man, not the little twerp anymore—looked at her. She finally understood what it was to be looked at by someone with want.

The feeling she was experiencing must have been noticeable, because Naruto looked at her then and saw it in her eyes. Usually he would have smiled and said, "Good morning, Sakura-chan!" but that wasn't the case now. She knew he was studying her to make sure he was reading her correctly; to make sure that he had read her thoughts correctly. That was the type of ninja Naruto was now—not _too_ reckless.

Naruto was watching Sakura, caught in a staring contest that they each were on the brink of surrendering.

This was it. Her heart started beating slightly faster and her stomach was doing summersaults from the intensity of his eyes.

She met him halfway when their lips finally touched. His lips were soft and surprisingly hot. Before she knew it, their hands were everywhere. Sakura was shocked at her own hands, which were caressing Naruto's face; shocked that her body was adjusting to his hands as they tackled her waist to press her completely to him.

She heard him make a noise in his throat and she liked it. She didn't even know how to explain it. The next thing she knew, Naruto's hands where on her waist sliding her shirt up. He pulled her closer, which caused her to panic a little. Were they moving too fast? If she pulled back now would all of this be stupid? Especially for him? And it wasn't as though she wasn't enjoying it. Naruto touching her and caressing her waist was exhilarating, but it was also…agitating. She wasn't ready. This was all happening too fast. Something was continuously pressing a red button in her mind.

If there was a moment to stop Naruto, it would be now. He released Sakura's lips and moved on top of her. She was going to speak but his kisses went to her neck while one of his hands left her waist, quickly sliding its way up to her neck. Sakura had never been kissed like this; it was with gentle urgency and something else. She couldn't put her mind to what it was in the state she was in now.

She allowed herself to slowly close her eyes as Naruto trailed kisses down her neck. Feeling him on top of her, while his left arm lifted her closer to him, and hearing him make those sounds made her feel womanly, sexy even. She was enjoying his reaction more than anything else. Naruto came back to her lips, harder this time. Her heart started thumping again and there was that button; the button that made red signals go off. It wasn't until Sakura felt his hand on her right breast that her eyes finally flew open, her body tensing up, letting Naruto know, without words, to stop.

He was still on top of her, looking at her. It was a different sentiment in her eyes now. He didn't read yearning there anymore. Not confusion either. It was more like hesitation. Naruto moved away quickly and positioned himself at the edge of the bed with his elbows on his legs and head in his hands. He let out a huge gush of wind and Sakura watched him as he closed his eyes, like he was having an inner struggle.

"Naruto… I'm sor--" Sakura began saying.

"Don't. Don't apologize for anything. I was moving too fast. _I'm_ sorry."

Naruto was damning himself. He had wanted this for such a long time. Sakura had kissed him before but not like she had just now. The kisses had been drunken kisses, glad-that-he-was-ok kisses, and quick pecks of gratitude here and there. Finally a kiss he wanted—_the_ kiss—and he had ruined it. Sakura would never know how many times he would be kicking himself for messing this up. He didn't blame her and he didn't want to guess or even think about why today of all fucking days Sakura reacted the way she did.

The words were coming out of his mouth without his knowledge: "This has nothing to do with _him_, right?"

Shit! Another thing he would be kicking himself for. He knew it was wrong because, even subconsciously, he hadn't said "Sasuke" when mentioning him to her. Naruto got up and faced Sakura. He was surprised to find an arched eyebrow on her now puzzled face.

Sakura laughed and then she was hugging him. He, of course, froze on the spot. Surprises. One thing he realized about her, she was always full of them. He stood motionless, waiting for an explanation. The way Sakura was now had him speechless and unmoving. It wasn't until Sakura spoke that Naruto realized he was holding his breath.

"No. Sasuke is actually very far from my mind, Naruto."

She released him then, inhaled deeply, and smiled. He was still waiting for a reply while he shyly smiled back.

"Uhmm, thank you Naruto. I'll be going now."

"Sakura-chan—wait," Naruto said quickly, before she could fully jump out the window. "Errrr, your stuff…"

"I'll pick it up tonight," she answered after winking at him and finally jumped out of sight.

It wasn't that she had chosen not to think about Sasuke. It was that her mind didn't have any room for him at the moment. Her mind was clouded by one amazing ninja at the moment: Uzumaki Naruto. He was indeed a good kisser, she thought, giggling to herself. With what had just taken place, she finally saw an opening to where their relationship would lead.

Sasuke… So what? So what if he had returned? His future was decided. Depending on his explanations as to why he chose to follow Konoha's mortal enemy, Orochimaru (not to mention depending on the Godaime's temper), he would definitely serve some good jail time. He wasn't important anymore.

Funny how these things work out, thought Sakura.

Uchiha Sasuke had come back to Konoha and all she could think about was her still tingling lips, the heat of Naruto's hand, which she could still feel where he had touched her, and Naruto's wild scent, which she found intriguing. She wanted to get closer to him. And now… she had the opportunity.

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**A/N: **I hope you guys enjoyed this. Because I didn't. I'm having problems writing little things that I feel need to be expressed? Wakata ka? However, I am satisfied with the way it came out. Sasuke who? Looks like Naruto is all that's going on in Sakura's mind. This is a Sasu X Saku fanfic though --  
Till chapter III, take care, floss, eat your veggies, and above else, review**... bows**

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